thrilla in manila

The Thrilla in Manila is the third and final famous boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier for the Heavyweight Boxing Championship of the World, fought at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines on October 1, 1975.

The bout is often ranked as one of the greatest fights of 20th century boxing, and is the climax to the bitter rivalry between Ali and Frazier over who was the legitimate Heavy Weight Champion. That situation came about after Ali was stripped of the title over his refusal to join the armed forces when drafted during the Vietnam war. Some years later after repeated weekly prodding from Ali, Frazier petitioned President Nixon to restore Ali's right to box thereby bringing about the so called Fight of the Century between two undisputed heavyweight champions in 1971.

During the whole period between their first and their last face-off in Manila, including the years which preceded the restoration of Ali's right to fight, Ali had used his wit, sharp tongue, and position with the press to take characteristic verbal pot shots at Frazier (as was his practice with all opponents—and which made good copy and controversy) but these became controversial and at times ugly, after his loss in the fight of the Century, and this verbal battery heated the rivalry into new territory.

Both boxers battled each other into near incapacity, as was reprised and mimicked in the 1976 Oscar-winning film Rocky. Unlike the Sly Stallone written film classic inspired in part by the fight in Manila (Stallone had gotten the inspiration to write the script after watching Ali-Wepner via closed circuit theater), Frazier's trainer determined he should stop the bout after the fourteenth round, so the decision went to Ali as a technical knockout (TKO). The early and middle parts of the fight were close, with spectacular ebb and flow, and in the later rounds things gradually swung Ali's way in the scoring for any likely decision. The final match up between Ali and Frazier was ultimately detrimental to the health of both fighters. The first fight in 1971 between these two pugilists went fifteen rounds and the second fight going 12 rounds, which were both similarly hard on the participants. Contents [hide] 1 Pre-fight 2 The Fight 3 Aftermath 4 Trivia 5 References 6 External links //

Pre-fight Records before October 1, 1975 Thrilla in Manila Muhammad Ali Nickname Louisville Lip

The Greatest Record 48-2 (34 KO) Hometown Louisville, KY, USA Recognition WBC/WBA Heavyweight Champion

Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion versus Joe Frazier Nickname Smokin' Joe Record 32-2 (27 KO) Hometown Philadelphia, PA, USA Title(s) on the line WBC/WBA Heavyweight Championship

Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship

Produced by Don King and broadcast to many countries worldwide with HBO's antenna, The Thrilla in Manila had a tremendous media following.

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